Written evidence submitted by Volunteer Centre Nuneaton and Bedworth (CTT0126)

Potential Effects in the short and long term on Community Transport Operators and service users if there is a move away from permits to PSV or PCV driver’s certificates. Volunteer Centre, Nuneaton and Bedworth submission dated 021117

As an organization, Volunteer Centre, Nuneaton and Bedworth have been providing a social car scheme for medical appointments, known as Medicar for over 30 years, with volunteers using their own cars. We also run two accessible mini buses on a section 19 permit for the transport of vulnerable and disabled people in the borough of Nuneaton and Bedworth.   We provide a supported shopping service, and occasional supported outings to local places of interest. Along with providing transport for our other projects which have included gardening and woodworking groups for both young and over 60’s. The services are manned by volunteer bus escorts and drivers with restricted D1 Licenses who are “in house” MIDAS trained at the volunteer centre by our qualified volunteer MIDAS assessor.  Funds for training are usually paid for by the centre. Our buses are maintained in accordance with the “Maintaining Roadworthiness of Commercial Vehicles guide. All drivers go through an enhanced DBS check and full accessible training as per the MIDAS standard.

We, as a small charitable not for profit organization plough back any surplus into the services we provide,  We have no paid drivers, only volunteers who learn new skills, and who gain confidence in helping others in their own community. Our service users know all drivers and escorts by name and have the opportunity of leading independent lives by using our buses at a reasonable cost. This in turn has health benefits to otherwise house bound, low income individuals, with no immediate family close by.

Many charities have given up their own buses due to rising costs of running such services. We in turn, only survive through volunteer resources and grant funding. To indicate that we should be treated in the same way as a commercial supplier would appear very harsh in the extreme as surely such operators would only want profitable routes which would be to the detriment of our service users.

We approached our shopping service users for their comments if our service was to close-

“After suffering stroke I have been using the Volunteer Centre Shopping service for the last four years. With no immediate family in the area to help and not being a computer user I cannot order my shopping on line- I cannot carry shopping easily as I am wheelchair bound, one of the numerous things the volunteer shopping escorts do for me, which I do not think a commercial operator would help with. I know the volunteers who are patient and trust worthy, I am sure that a commercial operator would charge me far more than the charity does, with no one to one help. I would be devastated if the charity could not continue under the same terms. I see them as friends rather than volunteers.”

“I am totally blind and rely on the shopping service weekly the volunteers read out labels to me and ensure I am in a safe environment. This is just not about shopping but about friendship, we stop for tea and a chat in the cafe. There is no rush, no one is on a strict timetable which I assume commercial drivers would be. I also worry about the cost a commercial business would charge me.”

Volunteers comment “I see myself as a beneficiary of this service as a volunteer bus escort, it has helped enormously with my personal depression. I have re-found my confidence and have learned new skills which has actually benefited others in the community. We also know our regular shoppers and if something is not right, we report back to the office so that their contacts are aware of any difficulties-we see this as our community duty of care”.

With a modest 1904 bus passengers being carried last year, the cost of becoming commercial operators would be prohibiting for us in the extreme and would no doubt contribute to the service being closed to the most vulnerable residence in the borough.

It seems we are we talking about profit over community welfare.

November 2017